Estilo y Gracia (Cuba)

Founded by percussionist José Perez, longtime timbalero with Latin jazz bandleader Poncho Sanchez, Estilo Y Gracia is a Los Angeles–based ensemble rooted in traditional Afro-Cuban music. The group brings together musicians with deep experience in son, guaracha, rumba, and Latin jazz, emphasizing tight arrangements, improvisation, and rhythmic interplay. With Juan Cosme on vocals, Alberto Sala son piano, Ross Schodek on bass, Giancarlo Anderson on percussion, and Jay Jennings on trumpet, the band approaches classic repertoire with respect for its historical foundations while maintaining are laxed, contemporary feel. True to its name, which translates as “Style and Grace,” the band balances energy and restraint.

Featured Song:

“Bilongo” is a new interpretation of a well-known Cuban song, also widely known as “La Negra Tomasa,” composed by Guillermo Rodríguez Fiffe and first recorded in the 1940s. The song draws on Afro-Cuban spiritual vocabulary, with bilongo referring to a love charm or spell, framing romance through humor, fascination, and everyday domestic imagery. “I am so in love with Negra Tomasa / That when she leaves the house, I feel so sad / That beautiful woman, listen / She put a spell on me.”

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